There was a time when all you could do with a phone is talk. Now, with the iPhone, the Blackberry Storm and Google's Android phones, the ability to talk seems to be a minor feature. Has feature creep eliminated the productivity gains in these devices? Or are they worth all the bells and whistles?

We often use cars as analogies for computers when trying to explain things to users. Can a further analogy be drawn? Is the computer industry also like the auto industry? Not exactly, although you could made a few comparisons.

Einstein was famous for saying that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Einstein never worked in IT of course. And sometimes being a little crazy helps get things done.

Here's a video showing Intel CEO Paul Otellini demoing a new mobile Internet based device. After notebooks, netbooks, MIDs, and cell phones, do we really need one more mobile device? What do you think and how will it affect IT?

You're supposed to be an IT leader - using your knowledge about technology to help improve the organization. But are you a lemming instead? Forget the stereotype, being a lemming might be worse that you think.

Quite a few people don't deal with IT people directly in their line of work. Instead, they do so only when they have problems with technology we provide. Others only experience IT through customer support channels like Geek Squad. Does Geek Squad give a good impression or bad impression of IT?

We're fortunate to live in a country where we get to help decide who are leaders are going to be. It's not always any easy choice, and you don't always get the best candidates to choose from. What are the key factors that help you decide who to vote for?

A recent study by Jupiter Research and BuzzLogic has suggested that blogs are more influential in product decisions than friends on social networks. What can a site like TechRepublic, which has a mix of bloggers and social networking, do to help you make better product decisions?

And you think you've got a busy day. How'd you like to be the CIO responsible for processing 300 million transactions a day? This CIO Session video comes from ZDNet and discusses what Visa CIO Michael Dreyer has to do to keep Visa running smoothly.

When you have a product purchasing decision to make, there are usually dozens of different makes and models to choose from. Trying to sort out the differences isn't always easy to do without taking input from external sources. What things help influence you to make a final purchase decision?

Is it possible to have too much information to make a decision? The obvious answer is yes, but what's key is how you define what 'too much' information is. By minimizing the amount of information about a situation, you can come up with a better decision making result.

Apple recently freshened the Mac line, including souped up CPUs and new graphics from nVidia. What didn't change however was the Mac price point. Although there's now a (barely) sub-$1000 Mac, most Macs are higher priced compared to many Windows machines. Is price less of a factor to a Mac customer?

Microsoft finally shipped SP3 for Windows XP, but even with the final release not everything works right. The last thing you want is for users to blindly install Service Packs or other updates without testing them in advance. Here's what you do about it.

Is it possible to have too much information to make a decision? The obvious answer is yes, but what's key is how you define what 'too much' information is. By minimizing the amount of information about a situation, you can come up with a better decision making result.

Apple recently freshened the Mac line, including souped up CPUs and new graphics from nVidia. What didn't change however was the Mac price point. Although there's now a (barely) sub-$1000 Mac, most Macs are higher priced compared to many Windows machines. Is price less of a factor to a Mac customer?

We're fortunate to live in a country where we get to help decide who are leaders are going to be. It's not always any easy choice, and you don't always get the best candidates to choose from. What are the key factors that help you decide who to vote for?

Quite a few people don't deal with IT people directly in their line of work. Instead, they do so only when they have problems with technology we provide. Others only experience IT through customer support channels like Geek Squad. Does Geek Squad give a good impression or bad impression of IT?

You're supposed to be an IT leader - using your knowledge about technology to help improve the organization. But are you a lemming instead? Forget the stereotype, being a lemming might be worse that you think.

Here's a video showing Intel CEO Paul Otellini demoing a new mobile Internet based device. After notebooks, netbooks, MIDs, and cell phones, do we really need one more mobile device? What do you think and how will it affect IT?

When figuring out staffing in your IT department, one of the hardest thing to do is to figure out exactly how much support staff you need based on the number of users you have. Here's a video from ZDNet that recommends a 60:1 ratio and why.

When you have a product purchasing decision to make, there are usually dozens of different makes and models to choose from. Trying to sort out the differences isn't always easy to do without taking input from external sources. What things help influence you to make a final purchase decision?

And you think you've got a busy day. How'd you like to be the CIO responsible for processing 300 million transactions a day? This CIO Session video comes from ZDNet and discusses what Visa CIO Michael Dreyer has to do to keep Visa running smoothly.

A recent study by Jupiter Research and BuzzLogic has suggested that blogs are more influential in product decisions than friends on social networks. What can a site like TechRepublic, which has a mix of bloggers and social networking, do to help you make better product decisions?

The dawn of the 21st century saw a lot of Internet companies crash and burn in the first DotBomb era. With the recent economic problems, Rafe Needleman from Webware talks to CNETTV about the possibility of Web 2.0 companies following them into oblivion.